Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Fatal Airplane Crash Near Clingmans Dome
The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) advised park dispatch of a possible downed
aircraft in the vicinity of Clingmans Dome just after 10 p.m. on March
27th. Rangers working with CAP and the FAA determined that the aircraft
was a Cessna 172 operated by C.W., 42, of Seymour, Tennessee.
C.W. had flown out of Columbia, South Carolina, with one passenger on
board. The passenger was dropped off in Pickens, South Carolina, and
C.W. had continued on to his destination in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Around 9 p.m., C.W. told FAA that he was having some problems. Almost
immediately after the transmission, the FAA lost both voice and radar
contact with C.W. Shortly thereafter, other commercial aircraft in
the area reported a weak ELT signal emanating from the park. CAP began
efforts to find the plane around 9:30 p.m. They confirmed the ELT
signal, which was coming from the Clingmans Dome area, but had to
terminate operations because of turbulence. Ranger and CAP members
headed for Clingmans Dome, arriving around 1 a.m. They used handheld ELT
receivers to pinpoint the location where the Cessna went down and found
the crash site about a mile east of the dome and 40 yards south of the
Appalachian Trail on the North Carolina side. They found that C.W.
had been killed in the crash. At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is the
highest point in Tennessee and straddles the Tennessee/North Carolina
border. This was the first airplane crash in the park since May, 1999,
when another Cessna 172 crashed about two miles south of the Appalachian
Trail. Park records show that there have been a total of 45 aircraft
crashes in the park since record-keeping began in 1928. Rangers are
working with the NTSB and FAA on the accident investigation. The
aircraft owner's insurance company (C.W. had rented the plane) has
been contacted and asked to arrange to have the aircraft removed.
[Submitted by Rick Brown, District Ranger]
Capitol Reef National Park (UT)
Rescue of Boy Scout Troop
On March 15th, four Boy Scouts, aged 12 and 13, and three adult
leaders were backpacking in Spring Canyon, a route that requires
crossing the Fremont River at the end of the hike. The first substantial
snow of the winter had occurred earlier in the month in the high country
and had been followed by a week of record high temperatures. The
resulting runoff had brought the Fremont River to flood level. The river
continued to rise overnight and rangers determined that a safe crossing
was not possible. Ranger Jessie Jordan quickly hiked down Spring Canyon
in an attempt to turn the group around. Although the scouts reached the
river before Jordan was able to contact them, they were intercepted by
ranger Tom Cox, who was on the other side of the river. Cox advised them
not to cross. The scout leaders determined that members of their group
were too exhausted to hike back out; Jordan, who had caught up with the
scouts by that time, concurred in this assessment. Skies were overcast
and rain was predicted, so an alternative means was found to extricate
them from the backcountry. A tyrolean system was rigged to bring the
backpacks across the river and send rescue gear to Jordan and the
hikers. Anchor points were not substantial enough to bring the scouts
across on the tyrolean system, so downstream safety lines were
established. The scouts and their leaders donned life jackets and
whitewater helmets, then — one by one — slid down a six-foot
bank on their backs into the 42-degree water, took the end of a belay
line, and forded the Fremont. Cox utilized swiftwater rescue belay
techniques to bring each person across and up the three-foot bank on the
other side. Rescue team members, including the park superintendent,
resource management staff, and a USFWS special agent, pulled the scouts
out of the water and got them into a warming van. There they immediately
changed clothes to prevent hypothermia. After de-rigging the systems on
the other side, Jordan then entered the Fremont and was belayed across.
[Submitted by Chief Rangers Office]
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (PA)
Rescue of Injured Mountain Biker
On the evening of March 21st, park dispatch received a call from the
dispatch center in Newton, New Jersey, advising that a 911 call had been
received from a mountain biker who'd been injured while riding in the
park near Blue Mountain Lakes. Ranger Mike Fernalld drove to Hemlock
Pond and began looking for him. He found G.S. lying on the
ground in water just after 8 p.m. Rain was pouring down, and the
temperature was in the low 40s. G.S. said that he'd been biking on
the designated mountain biking trail, which was still covered in snow
and ice in many places. While trying to beat the darkness back to his
truck, he hit a limb, lost control, and put his foot down to catch
himself. He landed wrong, though, and heard a distinct crack in his left
ankle. He'd called out on his cell phone several times before getting
through on the 911 line. G.S. was shivering violently and
uncontrollably and determined to be in the first phases of hypothermia.
Fernalld splinted G.S.'s leg and helped him to his jeep. G.S.
was transferred to an ambulance at the Blue Mountain Lake parking area
and taken to Newton Memorial Hospital, where he underwent surgery to
repair a fracture in his left ankle.
[Submitted by Phil Selleck,
Chief Ranger]
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (AZ)
Aggravated Assault
Rangers investigated a report of an accident with injuries on Highway
85 near the park's north boundary on the afternoon of March 16th. They
found that a woman had been pushed out of a moving vehicle at an unknown
rate of speed, causing multiple injuries. She had evidently entered the
country illegally and had been picked up by a Mexican national in the
park. As they neared a checkpoint, the driver pushed her out of the
vehicle in order to avoid being caught smuggling an illegal alien. The
driver fled and was not found or apprehended. The woman was taken to a
hospital in Phoenix where she was treated and released. Lack of credible
information on the suspect is hampering the investigation.
[Submitted by Robert E. Stinson, Acting Chief Ranger]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
National Interagency Fire Center
NIFC Situation Report - Friday, March 28, 2003
Preparedness Level 2
Initial attack was moderate on Thursday, with 226 new fires reported. Four were large fires in Oklahoma.
Resource commitments to the Columbia Response and Newcastle Incidents remain the same as previously reported.
Fire Danger
| State |
3/19 |
3/20 |
3/24 |
3/25 |
3/26 |
3/27 |
3/28 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| None |
X |
|
X |
|
X |
|
|
| Arizona |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| California |
|
VH |
|
|
|
|
|
| Colorado |
|
|
|
|
|
VH |
VH |
| Indiana |
|
|
|
VH |
|
VH |
VH |
VH — Very high EX — Extreme
National Resource Commitments
| Day |
3/19 |
3/20 |
3/24 |
3/25 |
3/26 |
3/27 |
3/28 |
| Crews |
148 |
155 |
174 |
172 |
176 |
160 |
161 |
| Engines |
11 |
10 |
50 |
29 |
68 |
59 |
37 |
| Helicopters |
1 |
1 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
6 |
3 |
| Air Tankers |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Overhead |
2,817 |
2,407 |
2,296 |
2,308 |
2,147 |
2,241 |
2,618 |
National Team Commitments
| State |
Type Team |
Team IC |
Incident/Fire |
Acres |
Percent Contain |
Est Full Contain |
| TX |
T1 |
Studebaker |
Columbia Response |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
| TX |
T1 |
Anderson |
" |
" |
" |
" |
| TX |
T1 |
Gelobter |
" |
" |
" |
" |
| TX |
T1 |
Ferguson |
" |
" |
" |
" |
| TX |
T2 |
Jenkins |
" |
" |
" |
" |
Park Fire Situation
No park fires reported.
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Servicewide Training
Weekly Listing of Operations Training Opportunities
Operations Training Calendar
This calendar appears every Monday as an addendum to the Morning Report and a separate entry for InsideNPS. It is not meant to be replace the Learning Place; rather it is a quick summary of available training with links (as available) to relevant Learning Place pages. Please note:
- New entries are in bold face.
- Submissions for other training courses should conform to the style used here.
- Please include the URL to the web sites where readers can obtain the requisite forms and/or find out additional information about the training course. If a URL is not specifically listed, the announcement can likely be found on the Learning Place, the NPS training page found at http://www.nps.gov/training/announcements/index.doc.
- Closing dates for applications are underscored.
- Contact names are listed at the end of each entry with parentheses and are given as email addresses.
**********************************************************************************************
April
April 29 - May 1: Basic EMT Refresher, Zion NP, UT. Taught by Tod Levesh, a former parkmedic and current paramedic and FEM/A urban SAR team member. Tuition: $75. Lodging is at the Driftwood Lodge, 435-772-3262. For more information, contact Cody Cole, EMS coordinator, Zion NP, at 435-772-0163. [Randy-Coffman@nps.gov]
April 29 — May 9: NPS Certified Structural Firefighter, Wahweap District, Glen Canyon NRA, UT. The course presents students with a strenuous hands-on curriculum that includes extensive training scenarios and live-fire drills. Course graduates will be qualified as structural firefighters within the NPS. Nominees must be able to meet current structural firefighter medical standards and should have current medical certificates. Nominations must be faxed or mailed and received by course coordinator Lisa Ford (phone — 908-608-6250, fax — 908-608-6259) no later than April 11. [Harold_Spencer@nps.gov]
May
May 5 - May 9: High Angle Rope Rescue Training, New River Gorge, WV. The course will focus on basic to advanced high angle rope rescue techniques. All participants must be in good physical condition and be able to spend extended periods of time on fixed ropes. Climbing ability is not necessary. For more information, contact ranger Rob Turan at 304-763-3145 ext. 14. [Rob_Turan@nps.gov]
May 5 - May 16: Physical Fitness Instructor, FLETC, Glynco, GA. Training for physical fitness and wellness coordinators. Graduates will be able to give the PEB and additional assessments. Closes April 1. [Wiley_Golden@nps.gov]
May 12: Park Medic Refresher, University Medical Center, Fresno, CA. Twelve hours of advanced life support continuing education. The course will cover a large portion of the NREMT mandatory core refresher requirements for EMT intermediates. To register, contact Donna Armijo at UMC (559-459-5105); for general information, call Debbie Brenchely at Sequoia-Kings Canyon NP (559-565-4334). [Randy-Coffman@nps.gov]
May 12 - May 16: National Wildfire Investigation Training (XP-NWITP-303), Prescott, AZ. Topics include determining fire causes and origins, processing crime scenes, arson laws, and investigative techniques. Closes on April 3. [Wiley_Golden@nps.gov]
May 12 - May 23: Physical Security, FLETC, Glynco, GA. Physical security systems and procedures, physical security surveys. Closes on April 10. [Wiley_Golden@nps.gov]
May 12 - May 23: Firearms Instructor Training Program, FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on April 2. [Wiley_Golden@nps.gov]
May 15 - August 25: Basic Law Enforcement Training Program, FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on April 2. [Wiley_Golden@nps.gov]
May 27 - May 30: Instructor Training for Non-Lethal Training Ammunition, FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on April 22. [Wiley_Golden@nps.gov]
June
June 2 - June 13: Technical Investigative Equipment Training Program, FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on April 29. [Wiley_Golden@nps.gov]
June 9 — June 10: Root Cause Analysis for Incident Investigation, Phoenix, AZ. Root cause analysis is a critical element of the incident investigation and reporting management system. This course, presented by Apollo Associated Services, Inc, is designed to establish a cadre of practitioners within each region. Participants will learn to understand, and apply the problem solving and decision making process of root cause analysis to their "real world" problems by developing clear and quantified problem definitions, establishing the cause and effect relationships for the problem, and, most importantly, developing creative solutions that attack and eliminate the causes of the problems. Closes on May 9th. For further information and a nomination form, contact Shirley Rowley via email or at 303-969-2536. [Shirley_Rowley@nps.gov]
June 11 — June 12: Root Cause Analysis for Incident Investigation, Phoenix, AZ. Same as above.
June 9 - June 20: Firearms Instructor Training Program, FLETC, Glynco, GA. Closes on April 29. [Wiley_Golden@nps.gov]
June 10 — June 19: Basic Law Enforcement for Supervisors, FLETC, Glynco, GA. This program provides trainees with the opportunity to develop and refined their supervisory abilities. The instructors are all current or former supervisory law enforcement professionals. Closes on April 29. [Wiley_Golden@nps.gov]
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found on the left side of the front page of InsideNPS. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.